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6 April 2009

Last week HANA (Horseplayers Association of North America) targeted a race at Will Rogers Downs. The idea of doing this weekly bet is to show the industry that bettors can unite, and the bettor's voice should be heard.

The results were OK. We added over $20,000 to the race 8 pools (an overall increase of over 90%), considering that it was our first week, and many members were shut out from betting Will Rogers (ie many Canadians, NJBets, NYRA bettors, Las Vegas, etc.).

TUESDAY'S PICK 3, RACE 6 TO 8 AT TAMPA BAY: SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND BET IT

So this week we decided in our weekly Wednesday night pow wow to target a track that is available everywhere. Tampa Bay was a perfect selection. The fact that the track was rated 11th by HANA is just icing on the cake.

Tampa Bay regularly does over $3 million a day in handle, so picking a race and asking our members to just play the race, may not show how much power we have. We decided to go with a Pick 3 pool instead (they generally average around $12,000 in that pool).

I'm going to estimate that the pool for the selected pick 3 (starting at race 6 and ending at race 8) will be at least $35,000 once we pounce on it. Hopefully, it will be more. But a $35,000 pool is definitely worth taking a shot at.

Again, we purposely picked a track that was available everywhere. We did overlook one thing though, and this is more of a warning than an attempt to not get HPI members to play. HANA is all about awareness, so it is my duty as a Canadian HANA member to warn Canadian HPI customers about the following:

HPI payoffs on the pick 3 at Tampa Bay are only 93.75% of what they pay on track (and almost every USA ADW and simulcast location). That is right folks, the "brain trust" at HPI (ie Woodbine Entertainment Group) have determined that the takeout on Tampa Bay pick 3's are too low (at 20%), so they ramp up the takeout on it for their "loyal" customers. For example, yesterday one pick 3 at Tampa Bay paid $440.80 at source, but HPI only paid their lucky customers $413.30 on it. Another one paid $1831.80 on source, but HPI paid $1717.30 for the same hit (Dave Willmot thanks whoever caught it, for his new tie).

Is it any wonder that HPI chases away customers? And then they have the audacity to whine about it.

Here is the justification explanation from the Woodbine web site:

Why might payoffs on some pools differ from that of the host?Since some U.S. tracks have extraordinarily low takeout rates on some pools (e.g. Triactors, Superfectas) that do not accommodate the high mandatory deductions in Canada, WEG will use a minimum of 25% for the total takeout on these pools. This is a very common rate that is used by other U.S. tracks.

It costs HPI the same amount to take a pick 3 bet as it does to take a win bet. Yet they can "afford" to pay customers actual prices for win, place, and show, etc. So how can they justify this complete rip off of their customer? I have no idea.

Maybe a few of my readers can email Jane Holmes VP of corporate affairs at Woodbine and get a response to why HPI ramps up the Pick 3 takeout. Email Ms. Holmes:

Other questions to ask, is how they justify having a 28.3% takeout on triactors when almost every other track charges 25% or less (I know that 4% goes to H.I.P. on triactors compared to 2% on all other bets, but in Ontario tracks only pays around 1.3% in taxes per bet, where most jurisdictions in North America pay much more)?

Also, ask how one qualifies to get a secret rebate deal of at least 7%? That should make the hair on the back her neck stand up.

I couldn't find Nick Eaves email on a quick internet search, but I'd like to see his response too.

One note: The H.I.P. (Horse Improvement Program) receives 2% on each wager, and as stated 4% on triactors, so there is no justification to ramp up the takeout rate on Pick 3's. In fact, if H.I.P. took out 4% on Pick 3's, the Pick 3 takeout at Tampa Bay is 20%, and the WPS takeout is 17.5%, so the track still gets more per bet from the Pick 3 no matter how you slice the pie.

If any Canadians want alternatives to HPI, where the money bet goes directly into the pools and you get race track payoffs, email me at: cangambleblog@gmail.com

If you aren't a HANA member yet please join the 800 bettors who have joined before you, it is absolutely free to join. Click here.

I agree. I am new to the game.Sure they supply the game for us and they get paid well. What bothers me is those whom have their hand on my pocket after all the work I have done and want to collect on my good fortune. But if it were so and they just wanted to take from me that would be a losing propersition. So they take from every winner, every day. We want to play so we have 2 choices. To play or not to play.

Wouldn't it be great if us Horeplayers could charge the AWD or the track 25 Dollars each time we handicap and play a full card! Then we would hear how unfair the Horseplayers charge is. Then maybe just maybe they would begin to understand.

I caught a pick 3 at keenland on wednesday, It paid $450.00 @ keenland,@ woodbine it paid $412.00 for the same ticket,i had it 3x,Well i didnt get ripped off, as im not foolish enough to play W.E.G.S. cheating prices.i bet through WILLIAM HILL on line sports betting,but for the rest of you sap's that bet into WEG,as they say....thanks for coming out....LMAO!